Saliva During Pregnancy

Do you feel like going “slurp slurp” while eating or do you feel an urge to keep spitting often? Though it has a funny name, ptyalism simply means excessive saliva. This is a most common symptom of pregnancy and generally goes hand-in-hand with morning sickness or nausea.

Excess saliva during pregnancy is more commonly seen in the first 12 weeks of your pregnancy or the first trimester.

Your salivary glands secrete saliva as usual but it is because of the nausea and morning sickness, you may not be in a position to swallow it as you normally do, thereby leading to the excess accumulation of saliva in your mouth.

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Causes of excess saliva during pregnancy

Ptyalism is an outcome of heartburn, which is the most common problem faced by pregnant women. The contents in your stomach tend to be acidic in nature and as a result when they come up, they tend to irritate your esophagus causing a burning sensation. This burning sensation triggers your salivary glands to produce saliva which is alkaline in nature to balance it out.

After knowing the causes, the question that you may have is will it affect my baby in anyway? Well, as such, ptyalism doesn’t have any direct effect on you or your baby. However, you need to drink lot of fluid as you are likely to get dehydrated if you spit the excessive saliva out and dehydration can affect you and your baby.

Coping with excess saliva during pregnancy.

Discuss this condition with your doctor, so that he/she can provide you with medication that will bring down the feeling of nausea and also reduce the morning sickness.

Tips to Avoid Saliva in Pregnancy

Besides notifying your doctor, here are some tips that you can follow to avoid this condition:

  • Once the morning sickness is under control, eat small and frequent meals to utilize the already produced saliva.

    Avoid starchy food as it will trigger your salivary glands.
  • Drink plenty of water and take small and frequent sips. This will help you to swallow the already produced saliva.
  • Try munching some crackers before getting out of your bed to reduce nausea and make sure you have a high-protein snack before going to bed to reduce morning sickness.
  • You can also try sucking some peppermint candies or other hard candies to make the swallowing of saliva possible.
  • Sucking a piece of lime may also do wonders to reduce the feeling of nausea.

Lastly, remember that excess saliva during pregnancy doesn’t have any effect on your baby as such. A little care will help you sail through the most difficult part of pregnancy—the first trimester. The condition will disappear as it is just temporary.

Saliva In Pregnancy Overview
Saliva in Pregnancy
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